The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa
Much of the research on ethnicity, development and conflict implicitly assumes that ethnic groups act collectively in pursuit of their interests. Collective political action is typically facilitated by political parties able to make credible commit...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100312100327 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3722 |
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okr-10986-37222021-04-23T14:02:12Z The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa Keefer, Philip AGGRESSION ATTENTION AUTHORITY CANDIDATES CITIZEN CITIZENS CIVIL WAR COERCION CONFLICT CONFLICT RESOLUTION CONSTITUENCIES CONSTITUENCY DECISION MAKING DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT DEMOCRATIC PROCESS DEMOCRATIC REGIMES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ECONOMIC GROWTH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORATE ETHNIC FACTORS ETHNIC FRAGMENTATION ETHNIC GROUP ETHNIC GROUPS ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY ETHNIC IDENTITY ETHNICITY FAMILIES GENDER GROUP LEADERS GROUP MEMBERS IDEAS INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS INFANT INFANT MORTALITY JOB CREATION LEADERSHIP LEVEL OF EDUCATION LOCAL COMMUNITIES NEED FOR RESEARCH PERSONAL COMMUNICATION POLICY ISSUES POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ACTION POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS POLITICAL DECISION POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL SUPPORT POLITICAL SYSTEMS PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRESS PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC INTEREST PUBLIC SERVICES RADIO RELIGIOUS GROUPS RESPECT RURAL AREAS SELF-RELIANCE SOCIAL GROUP TELEVISION TRIBE UNIONS WARS WORKING CLASS Much of the research on ethnicity, development and conflict implicitly assumes that ethnic groups act collectively in pursuit of their interests. Collective political action is typically facilitated by political parties able to make credible commitments to pursue group interests. Other work, however, emphasizes the lack of political credibility as a source of adverse development outcomes. Evidence presented here uses partisan preferences across 16 Sub-Saharan African countries to distinguish these positions. The evidence is inconsistent with the credibility of party commitments to pursue collective ethnic interests: ethnic clustering of political support is less widespread than expected; members of clustered ethnic groups exhibit high rates of partisan disinterest and are only slightly more likely to express a partisan preference; and partisan preferences are more affected by factors, such as gift-giving, often associated with low political credibility. These findings emphasize the importance of looking beyond ethnicity in analyses of economic development. 2012-03-19T18:38:38Z 2012-03-19T18:38:38Z 2010-03-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100312100327 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3722 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5236 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Africa Africa Africa |
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Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
AGGRESSION ATTENTION AUTHORITY CANDIDATES CITIZEN CITIZENS CIVIL WAR COERCION CONFLICT CONFLICT RESOLUTION CONSTITUENCIES CONSTITUENCY DECISION MAKING DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT DEMOCRATIC PROCESS DEMOCRATIC REGIMES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ECONOMIC GROWTH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORATE ETHNIC FACTORS ETHNIC FRAGMENTATION ETHNIC GROUP ETHNIC GROUPS ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY ETHNIC IDENTITY ETHNICITY FAMILIES GENDER GROUP LEADERS GROUP MEMBERS IDEAS INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS INFANT INFANT MORTALITY JOB CREATION LEADERSHIP LEVEL OF EDUCATION LOCAL COMMUNITIES NEED FOR RESEARCH PERSONAL COMMUNICATION POLICY ISSUES POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ACTION POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS POLITICAL DECISION POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL SUPPORT POLITICAL SYSTEMS PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRESS PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC INTEREST PUBLIC SERVICES RADIO RELIGIOUS GROUPS RESPECT RURAL AREAS SELF-RELIANCE SOCIAL GROUP TELEVISION TRIBE UNIONS WARS WORKING CLASS |
| spellingShingle |
AGGRESSION ATTENTION AUTHORITY CANDIDATES CITIZEN CITIZENS CIVIL WAR COERCION CONFLICT CONFLICT RESOLUTION CONSTITUENCIES CONSTITUENCY DECISION MAKING DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT DEMOCRATIC PROCESS DEMOCRATIC REGIMES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ECONOMIC GROWTH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORATE ETHNIC FACTORS ETHNIC FRAGMENTATION ETHNIC GROUP ETHNIC GROUPS ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY ETHNIC IDENTITY ETHNICITY FAMILIES GENDER GROUP LEADERS GROUP MEMBERS IDEAS INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS INFANT INFANT MORTALITY JOB CREATION LEADERSHIP LEVEL OF EDUCATION LOCAL COMMUNITIES NEED FOR RESEARCH PERSONAL COMMUNICATION POLICY ISSUES POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ACTION POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS POLITICAL DECISION POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL SUPPORT POLITICAL SYSTEMS PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRESS PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC INTEREST PUBLIC SERVICES RADIO RELIGIOUS GROUPS RESPECT RURAL AREAS SELF-RELIANCE SOCIAL GROUP TELEVISION TRIBE UNIONS WARS WORKING CLASS Keefer, Philip The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa |
| geographic_facet |
Africa Africa Africa |
| relation |
Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5236 |
| description |
Much of the research on ethnicity,
development and conflict implicitly assumes that ethnic
groups act collectively in pursuit of their interests.
Collective political action is typically facilitated by
political parties able to make credible commitments to
pursue group interests. Other work, however, emphasizes the
lack of political credibility as a source of adverse
development outcomes. Evidence presented here uses partisan
preferences across 16 Sub-Saharan African countries to
distinguish these positions. The evidence is inconsistent
with the credibility of party commitments to pursue
collective ethnic interests: ethnic clustering of political
support is less widespread than expected; members of
clustered ethnic groups exhibit high rates of partisan
disinterest and are only slightly more likely to express a
partisan preference; and partisan preferences are more
affected by factors, such as gift-giving, often associated
with low political credibility. These findings emphasize the
importance of looking beyond ethnicity in analyses of
economic development. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Keefer, Philip |
| author_facet |
Keefer, Philip |
| author_sort |
Keefer, Philip |
| title |
The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa |
| title_short |
The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa |
| title_full |
The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa |
| title_fullStr |
The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Ethnicity Distraction? Political Credibility and Partisan Preferences in Africa |
| title_sort |
ethnicity distraction? political credibility and partisan preferences in africa |
| publishDate |
2012 |
| url |
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100312100327 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3722 |
| _version_ |
1764387998884954112 |